Predation

advantage over the other and results in its rapid speciation into multiple lineages. The evolution of a particularly effective defense mechanism may render a species effectively immune to predation for a period of time, until a predator species counter-adapts in response, allowing for adaptive radiation unimpeded by predation (Futuyma). Escape and radiate coevolution is not confined to prey species however, predator species may also develop highly efficient traits which would allow them to…

Organisms across various environments develop and displays complex behaviours. Terrestrial animals, such as lions, displays evident social behaviours through the development of societies called prides (Abell et al., 2013). Similarly, fish have developed numerous social, reproductive, and predatory behaviours that allow them to adapt to various conditions. For example, observing reproductive behaviours of hermaphroditic reef fishes found that reproduction was species dependant, though there were…

Wolf Reintroduction in Colorado The reintroduction of the wolf in the early nineties was a highly debated enterprise. Many felt it was only right to return the wolf to it former hunting grounds, especially since mankind was directly responsible for them being eliminated in the first place. There were many though, primarily the cattle ranchers and sheepherders of Wyoming, that feared the return of the wolf and its potential impact on their livelihoods. Yellowstone National Park seemed like…

is an act of “playing” with their food. It is unclear why killer whales do this, and it is possible that when animals are being tossed they may not actually be preyed upon just played with so it is hard to determined if the tossing is part of a predation purpose. Other attacks can be very quick and not quite so dramatic, for instance a sea bird sitting on the surface is swallowed up rather quickly and can easily be missed. Perhaps the whale is aware that there is a chance the bird could fly away…

to confirm a trophic cascade is occurring are, a temporal correlation of abundance trends, spatiotemporal overlap, prey growth rapid compared to predator, prey being a significant attribute to the predator’s diet, and predator primary source of predation mortality (Grubbs et al.). Without these benchmarks, the situation cannot be considered a trophic cascade (Grubbs et al.). Not looking over these requirements can lead to the misdiagnosis of the occurrence (Grubbs et…

and population growth (Arias-González JE and al. 2011; Raloff J. 2006). These traits include the facts that P. volitans can reach sexual maturity within one year, all the while having high reproductive output, and experiencing virtually almost no predation of their own, due to their possession of large, venomous dorsal, pelvic and anal spines (Arias-González JE and al. 2011). These factors make the invasive red lionfish a compelling system to study species interactions with native fish…

we do not entirely know what specific species and or organisms are present within the sample and cannot prevent the microzooplankton themselves from being grazed upon. If the microzooplankton were being grazed upon then relief in phytoplankton predation would be seen which would lead to an increase in their net growth rate. Due to this uncontrolled system it also requires certain assumptions to be made and upheld. As seen with the results from this paper if one assumption is not upheld it can…

1989). Nymphs feed on may-fly larvae, freshwater crustaceans, and sometimes small fish and tadpoles. Sympetrum derived from Latin means “with rock,” this is significant to their method of predation (citation). Adult Sympetrum bask on rocks to detect prey as it flies by. When prey flies by Sympetrum use their large compound monster like eyes to dart quickly towards their prey in a rotational method in order to successfully capture its target…

Based on the data, if the foxes were never introduced to the meadow, the rabbit population would’ve grew extremely quickly due to a lack of predation. The rabbit population was kept in check and was prevented from overpopulating the area by the introduction of the fox. On the other hand, the fox population was also dependent on the rabbit population because the foxes relied on the rabbits for…

Predation is defined as the interspecific interaction in which one species called the predator, eats the other species known as the prey (Reece et al., 2013). Due to these two species interacting with one another, adaptations arise over time in each which help them carry out their niche most efficiently. This paper looks at Mellivora capensis, or honey badger as it is commonly called. It is a predator specie belonging to the family of mustelid, which reside mainly on the continent of Africa…